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Album reviews Music

Panda Bear – Tomboy

Rating: NNNN


The fourth solo album as Panda Bear by Animal Collective’s Noah Lennox is an amazingly immersive listen. You just have to get your head around all the contradictions. The disc manages to be densely layered and lush and still nakedly minimal. It’s packed with sweet, memorable melodies, but rarely allows any of them to emerge as a traditional hook or chorus. It sounds very electronic and is lushly produced, but still feels intimate and homemade. It’s very rhythm-focused, but not danceable in the least. There are no weak tracks, and yet nothing resembles a standout single. Confused yet?

Fans hoping for a retread of the kaleidoscope of flavours on Panda Bear’s acclaimed 2007 album, Person Pitch, may feel a bit let down, but in many ways Tomboy seems more consistent and makes more of a complete statement. It’s not a drastic reinvention by any means, but it is an album of mood pieces, and works better as a whole. It’s really only when you find the time to sit down and listen to it all that it starts making sense. Yes, this may require some patience, but you will be rewarded.

Top track: You Can Count On Me

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